One rise and one fall of rain
The Witchcliffe station's averages trace a single swell of rain. After February, the driest month at 10 mm, every month is wetter than the one before until July reaches 215 mm, and from there every month is drier through to January. June, July and August are the three wettest months, and May and September are wet in their own right, so the wet season runs long and deep.
February is the warmest month at the station, its days averaging 26.7°C, and the coolest nights come in July and August, both at 8.7°C. September's days are as cool as June's, and from October to January the days warm every month. The station's warmth arrives late in the year and lasts into a warm March.
Each season wettest at its winter end
Autumn and spring hold similar rain at the station, 232 mm and 223 mm, and in each the wettest month is the one next to winter. In autumn that is May, far rainier than April, which is itself wetter than a dry, warm March. In spring it is September, still wetter than any month of autumn but May, before October and November grow lighter. Spring is the cooler of the two, its days averaging 19.8°C.
Pests and weather, from public sources
Termites
New colonies begin when winged termites leave the nest in a colonising flight. The Australian Museum says these flights happen in warm, humid weather, mostly in spring and autumn.
Australian MuseumCockroaches
The Better Health Channel says cockroaches do best where conditions are warm, humid and unhygienic.
Better Health Channel (Victorian Government)Mosquitoes
“Mosquitoes need water to breed, and some mosquitoes can breed in very small amounts of water.”
NSW HealthTicks
Ticks can be found in any month. The Australian Government’s health advice puts the usual tick season at July to December, and says it differs from place to place.
Australian Centre for Disease ControlWho licenses pest work in Western Australia
In Western Australia, a commercial pest management business must be registered with the state’s Department of Health before it provides services. WA Department of Health
Treatments are done by pest management technicians or provisional technicians, and both must work for a registered business, their own or an employer’s. WA Department of Health
A provisional technician is still training for the full licence and is not allowed to work without supervision. HealthyWA (WA Department of Health)
After up to 30 working days of close, in-person supervision, an adult provisional technician may work under a licensed technician’s direction. HealthyWA (WA Department of Health)
Doing pest management work for others without a licence, or running a pest management business that is not registered, is an offence. WA Department of Health
Technicians licensed in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT or the Northern Territory, though not Queensland, may be eligible to work in Western Australia for a time under automatic mutual recognition, once they have notified the department and received its notice of registration. WA Department of Health
A technician’s licence card lists endorsements, which show the pesticide treatments the holder is qualified to carry out. HealthyWA (WA Department of Health)
HealthyWA suggests checking for the right endorsement before any work begins. HealthyWA (WA Department of Health)
How to choose a pest management business, HealthyWA